Conveners
Astrophysics and Space Instr.
- Akito Kusaka (University of Chicago)
Astrophysics and Space Instr.
- Sam Waldman (LIGO MIT)
Astrophysics and Space Instr.
- Brian Hummensky
Astrophysics and Space Instr.: Overview session
- Toru Tanimori (Kyoto University)
Astrophysics and Space Instr.
- Randall McEntaffer (University of Iowa)
Dr
clarence chang
(University of Chicago)
09/06/2011, 14:00
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
The South Pole Telescope (SPT) is a 10-m mm/sub-mm telescope at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. It's primary science goals consist of a galaxy cluster survey for understanding Dark Energy and probing the physics of Inflation through the CMB polarization. Both science goals require exceptional sensitivity requiring focal planes with many optical elements. The focal planes of the SPT...
Dr
Michael Niemack
(National Institute of Standards and Technology)
09/06/2011, 14:30
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
We are building large arrays of feedhorn-coupled superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) polarimeters to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. These polarimeters will be deployed on three experiments in the coming year: the Atacama B-mode Search, the South Pole Telescope Polarimeter, and the Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter. The science...
Mr
Satoru MIMA
(Okayama University)
09/06/2011, 14:50
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
We present recent developments of Aluminum (Al) Superconducting Tunnel Junction (STJ) and Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) for future measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization.
In an attempt to understand the mechanism of inflation in the early universe, we focus on observing the B-mode polarization pattern of the CMB. The pattern is known to carry...
Dr
Hogan Nguyen
(Fermilab)
09/06/2011, 15:10
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
QUIET is a ground-based experiment in Chile, designed to measure the CMB polarization.
QUIET currently has the largest array of Pseudo Correlation Receivers, utilizing High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMT) technology, for detecting the CMB at 44 and 90 GHz. The HEMT technology, developed at JPL and Northrop Grumman, allows for operation at 26 Kelvin and cancellation of gain drifts by...
Mr
Shinya Nakashima
(Kyoto University)
09/06/2011, 16:00
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
The standard detector in X-ray Astronomy is CCD (charge coupled device) at the moment because of the remarkable imaging capability (~20 um pixel) and energy resolution at the fano limit (FWHM~135 eV@ 6keV). However, the time resolution of CCD is poor (~1 Hz); this limits the observation of bright X-ray sources such as black holes. Thus, we have been developing a novel monolithic active pixel...
Prof.
Toru Tanimori
(Dept. of Physics, Kyoto University)
09/06/2011, 16:20
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
High energy gamma-ray astronomy has become a very promising field. On the other hand, in MeV region, there still remain many unobserved interesting celestial objects such as black holes and Gamma-ray Bursts. To explore this energy range, we have developed Electron Tracking Compton Camera (ETCC) consisting of a gaseous Time projection Chamber (TPC) based on the micro pixel gas counter (-PIC)...
Dr
Tomonobu Tomura
(Kamioka Observatory, ICRR. University of Tokyo)
09/06/2011, 16:40
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
Super-Kamiokande (SK), a 50-kiloton water Cherenkov detector, is one of the most sensitive neutrino detectors. SK can be used also for supernova observations by detecting neutrinos generated at supernova. In order to improve the performance of the detector for supernovae, we are developing two new features, one for recording all information within one minute and the other for recording...
Aaron Chou
(Fermilab)
09/06/2011, 17:00
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
Laser cavities and interferometers are approaching MW beam power, enabling probes of new microphysics and of space-time itself at mass scales well beyond the TeV scale. I will discuss several applications currently being developed, including 1) a next-generation photon-axion oscillation experiment; 2) the Holometer--an experiment to detect Planck-suppressed space-time uncertainty; and 3)...
Mark Beker
(Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
09/06/2011, 17:30
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
The current interferometric gravitational wave detectors are being upgraded to what are termed ‘2nd generation' devices. Sensitivities will be increased by an order of magnitude and these new instruments are expected to uncover the field of gravitational astronomy. A main challenge in this endeavor is the mitigation of noise induced by seismic motion. Detailed studies with Virgo show that...
Christopher Williams
(University of Chicago)
11/06/2011, 08:30
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
Microwave emission from ultra-high energy cosmic ray (UHECR) air showers presents the possibility of developing a novel detection technique. This new technique possesses the advantage of the fluorescence detection technique - the reconstruction of the longitudinal shower profile - combined with a 100% duty cycle, minimal atmospheric attenuation and the use of low cost commercial equipment. ...
Dr
Charles Timmermans
(Nikhef/Radboud University Nijmegen)
11/06/2011, 08:50
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
Detection of ultra high energy cosmic rays, generating an air shower in the atmosphere of the Earth, is usually performed through the detection of secondary particles at the surface or through the detection of the fluorescence light generated in the sky. The latter has the advantage of providing a longitudinal profile of the shower development, and the disadvantage of a limited uptime of only...
Dr
Ben Zitzer
(Argonne National Laboratory)
11/06/2011, 09:10
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
The VERITAS array, consisting of four 12m diameter Cherenkov telescopes, has been observing the Northern sky in VHE gamma-rays (E>100 GeV) for four years with high sensitivity (1% Crab Nebula flux in ~25 hours), and excellent energy and angular resolution. Exciting new results on a variety of VHE gamma-ray sources, both galactic and extra-galactic, have been obtained. Technical developments...
Dr
Adrian Biland
(ETH Zurich)
11/06/2011, 09:30
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
The First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope (FACT) project aims to prove that newly developed Geiger-mode avalanche photo-diodes (G-APD) are a viable alternative to widely used vacuum photomultipliers tubes (PMT) for future Cherenkov telescopes for ground-based gamma-ray astronomy.
Compared to PMTs, G-APDs (also called SiPM or MPPC) are much more compact, need a low bias voltage, are less fragile to...
Prof.
Randall McEntaffer
(University of Iowa)
11/06/2011, 09:50
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
The use of suborbital rocket payloads to perform intriguing science in only 5 minutes continuously requires the use of new and innovative technologies. High resolution X-ray spectroscopy necessitates large collecting areas and large fields of view to achieve adequate countrates in this short amount of time. One method of increasing the signal is to use large format detectors. Stitching...
Dr
Thomas Diehl
(Fermilab)
11/06/2011, 11:00
Experimental Detector Systems
Oral Presentation
The Dark Energy Survey (DES) is a next generation optical survey aimed at understanding the expansion rate of the universe using four complementary methods: weak gravitational lensing, galaxy cluster counts, baryon acoustic oscillations, and Type Ia supernovae. To perform the survey, the DES Collaboration is building the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), a 3 square degree, 570 Megapixel CCD camera...
Prof.
Stephane Coutu
(Penn State University)
11/06/2011, 11:30
Experimental Detector Systems
Oral Presentation
The Pierre Auger Observatory explores the highest-energy Universe, through the detection of air showers induced by the most energetic cosmic rays, whose nature and origin remain enigmatic despite decades of study. Tremendous progress is being accomplished in measuring the characteristics of these messengers with unprecedented statistics. Their energy spectra, their arrival directions, and the...
Dr
Brian Humensky
(University of Chicago / Columbia University)
11/06/2011, 12:00
Experimental Detector Systems
Oral Presentation
The last few years have seen stunning results both from ground-based gamma-ray astronomy from H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and VERITAS as the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov technique has matured, and from space since the 2008 launch of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a global collaboration formed to develop a next-generation ground-based array of imaging...
Maria Elena Monzani
(Stanford University)
11/06/2011, 12:30
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope recently completed its third year in orbit. During this time, the Fermi mission has recorded a remarkable variety of novel observations relating to astronomy and particle astrophysics. The performance of the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi satellite has largely exceeded the most optimistic expectations. Besides offering new insights on the...
Dr
Marcelle Soares-Santos
(Fermilab)
13/06/2011, 14:00
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
The Dark Energy Survey (DES) is a next generation optical survey aimed at measuring the expansion history of the universe using four probes: weak gravitational lensing, galaxy cluster counts, baryon acoustic oscillations, and Type Ia supernovae. To perform the survey, the DES Collaboration is building the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), a 3 square degree, 570 Megapixel CCD camera which will be...
Dr
Jason McPhate
(Univ. of California, Berkeley)
13/06/2011, 14:20
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
The Berkeley Visible Imaging Tube (BVIT) was installed on the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) in January 2009 and subsequently refurbished in August 2010. BVIT is an imaging, photon counting camera with multi-color (U, B, V, R – U was replaced by H-α post- refurb.) capability. At the heart of BVIT is a 25 mm, microchannel plate sealed tube device with a visible photocathode and a...
Dr
Matthew Beasley
(University of Colorado at Boulder)
13/06/2011, 14:40
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
I present a new far-ultraviolet echelle spectrograph which should provide resolving power greater than any currently existing far-ultraviolet instrument. We are using new gratings, detectors, and coatings that allow substantial advances in performance. I will present the current status of the design, and discuss known challenges and our plans to resolve them. While the design purpose of...
Mr
Hironao Miyatake
(University of Tokyo)
13/06/2011, 15:00
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) is a 1 Giga pixel CCD camera for a wide-field galaxy survey at the Subaru 8-m telescope. It will be mounted on the prime focus of the Subaru telescope and is scheduled to receive its first light in 2011. The primary science goals include a measurement of the equation of state parameter of dark energy based on the weak lensing survey over ~2,000 square degrees. HSC has...
Dr
Gustavo Cancelo
(Fermilab)
13/06/2011, 15:20
Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
Oral Presentation
Scientific CCDs have applications in astronomy, astrophysics and particle physics. Although CCDs main application is as high quality photo-sensors, some of these silicon devices have enough thickness and mass and are excellent detectors for direct dark matter search and other particle and nuclear physics applications. A key benefit of these CCDs is their low noise which allow them to detect...
